Bill and letter holder or file



(No Model.)

T. E. GOULD. BILL LND LETTER HOLDER 0R FILL.

ll'aLtented Apr.4 26, 1892.

vwem fot @M1/wonen UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS EDGAR GOULD, OF BROOKLYN, NEV YORK.

BILL AND LETTER HOLDER OR FILE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 473,835, dated April 26, 1892.

Application led August 13, 1891. Serial No.402,568 (No model.) A

T0 @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS EDGAR GoULD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bill and Letter Holders or Files; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improved letter and bill holder or lile havingr for its object to provide for the convenient storage or liling away more particularly of bills or bills of lading and in such a way as to permit of writing with facility thereon eitherl upon one or both sides thereof, as also to serve in this respect for filling out the longest bills; also, to provide for the compact folding up of the tile or holder and to provide a folding and unfolding back.

To these ends my invention consists in the novel combination, construction, and arrangement of the parts, substantially as hereinafter more fully disclosed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a folded cross-sectional view of my improved bill and letter holder or lile. Fig. 2 is a similar sectional view of the same partially unfolded. Fig. 3 is also a similar section thereof unfolded to its fullest extent. Fig. 4 is a broken end View, and Fig. 5 is a similar plan view, of the same; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged detailed view of one of the pivoted back clasps or clips.

In carrying out my invention I provide lids or covers A A, which may be made of layers of veneer or thin Wood put together with their grains crossing each other, or of card or leather board or other suitable material, one of which may have at its outer corners upon the inside boss-like projections a a, and has articulated or flexibly connected to its outer or forward longitudinal edge a folding leaf A', the connection being preferably effected by means of a piece of leather c', secured bysuitable fastenings to said parts across the joint between them. This arrangement permits the leaf to flex or fold inward and rest upon the inside of the back piece to which it is connected; but

When extended it aligns with said lid or cover, forming a continuation or extension thereof, as would be necessary to provide for supporting a paper or bill form of the longest or extra length while being Written on, and for which this appendage is especially designed by me. These lids or covers A A .are also flexibly connected to intermediate separate strips of inflexible material or wood b b and together at their rear or inner longitudinal edges preferably by means of a piece of leather covering h,and secured bysuitable means to said intermediate strips of Wood and to said lids or covers, said strips and leather covering thus jointly forming the folding and unfolding back B.

Preferably sunk into and secured into recesses in one of the strips of wood b at its back or rear edge near the ends are a couple of ordinary paper-clamps c c so arranged as to conveniently grasp and retain the bills or letters or like matter C, placed therein after the fashion of binding the leaves of a book.

D D are clasps or clips of approximate U shape having extended therefrom arms d, pivoted at their inner ends to one of the strips of wood b, adapting the clips or clasps to be swung inward and be engaged with the opposite strip of wood Z7 and hold the parts of the back B together or folded or to be swung outward and be disengaged from said strip of wood, permitting the unfolding or spreading of the back with the unfolding of the leaf, as is desirable or practiced in filling out or writing upon the extra-lengthened paper or bill, as seen in Fig. 3.

In filling or writing out the usual bills of lading the holder or iile is only partially unfolded, as seen in Fig. 2, it not being necessary in that instance to fully extend the holder, as such, (the former,) as well understood, read or are written upon crosswise or from left to right and upon both sides, provision for which being made herein, since the bills of lading can be turned after the fashion of the leaves of a book and caused to rest first upon one lid or cover and then upon the other lid or cover as the two sides of the bill of lading are respectively filled out. The clips or clasps D,in order to prevent their accidental IOO disengagement from the covers or lids, as;

the clasps Or clips thereon, yet permitting the ready disengagement from thelids or covers of the clips or clasps, as also providing for the automatic engagement of `the'clips Or clasps with the lids or covers.

Having thus fully described my invention,- what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters.:

Patent, is-

1. The bill and letter holder or file having the flexibly-connected leaf adapted to form an extension of' one lid or cover, substantiallyback,`in combinatiohvvith the cla's'psorclips of an Aapp'roiiinately-U 'shap'e,'eachhaving an as set forth.

2. The biufandfie'uer holder- Orli-iie having' itslid'sfor ccovers y:proi'rided with vthe folding and unfolding back, substant'allyas` vset forth.-

3. Thel bill- 'and letter holder` vOr Ii'le havin-gits lids or' co'vers'provided vvithl t-he'back `com" posed of l inflexible @strips ilexibl'yco'finectedtogether 'and tosaid lids or covers and clipped or clasped in 'a folded position, 'substantially as specified.

4. The bill and letter'liolder or file havingl the back composed of in''exilole'stri ps covered' by'a iiexible material andz fleizibly conne'cte'df together and tothe lids'or cover-'sof said'file or holder, :and the clips or claspsof anv ap- 'tially' as set forth.

proximately U shape and each having an arm pivoted to one strip and adapted to engage the other strip and the iiexible covering, substantially as set forth.

5. The letter and bill holder or file comprising the lids Orcovers, one having the exiblyconnected leaf, the back consisting of the strips of wood secured to the leather covering,

Ainturn secured to'said lids or covers, and the approximately U-shaped clips or clasps, each lhaving an arm pivoted to one of said strips of Wood and adapted to engage the other strip of wood With the covering of leather, substan- 6. The letter and bill holder or 4file having its lids or coversiprovidedfvvith the flexible armV pivot'ed to one Strip or section of the back and adapted to engagethe lother'stri'p or section of the back and 'the yflexible covering, said 'clips or clasps being automaticallyhel'd in posit-ion by springs, vsubstantially `as yset forth.

'In testimony-whereof I afii-xm'y signature in i presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS 4EDGAR GOLD.

Witnesses: I

' GEORGE lSrERRY,

J OHN i Il. NORDLOFF. 

